Research Firm SuperData Predicts PlayStation VR Sales Will Hit 2.6 Million By Year’s End

October 4, 2016
Written by Michael Briers

On the heels of Google’s unveiling of the Daydream View earlier today, research firm SuperData has rolled out its official sales forecast for PlayStation VR and its chief competitors, HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift included.

Despite launching late in the year, the company claims Sony’s new platform will outpace all other VR headsets, selling upwards of 2.6 million units in the space of two and a half months. A bullish projection though that may be, SuperData points to Sony’s PS4 install base to back up its report — simmering north of 40 million at press time — which would mean that around 6 percent of console owners will make the jump to PSVR before the year’s end. For perspective’s sake. the research giant has HTC Vive and Oculus at 420,108 and 355,088 units respectively across the same period.

You’ll be able to find an illustration of those estimations via the graphic below. In news relating to PlayStation VR, a separate report by Juniper Research claims that the virtual reality medium — a bracket that comprises peripherals, 360-degree cameras and the headsets themselves — will grow to more than $50 billion by the year 2021.

“This rapid growth will arise from a widespread adoption of VR by smartphone users, and the high unit prices commanded by headsets for PCs and consoles. The market will be triggered by the launch of PlayStation VR this October, and Microsoft’s Project Scorpio in 2017 – offering compatibility with the Oculus Rift.

“We expect 2017 to be the biggest year for console-based VR revenue growth, as there are several units coming into the market which are not feeling the impact of price competition. This means we will see a rise in [average selling price] across both 2017 and 2018 as the newer models come into the market, and only adjust to each others’ presence over the course of a year or two, insulated to a degree by ecosystem lock-in.”

PlayStation VR is due to arrive on October 13. In case you missed it, yesterday brought forth new information regarding the device’s hardware specifications, even taking you up close and personal with the Wii-sized Processing Unit.